Apparatus for the finishing of fabrics stretched wide,particulary for their continuous washing

ABSTRACT

THIS DISCLOSURE RELATES TO AN APPARATUS FOR THE FINISHING OF FABRICS STRETCHED WIDE, PARTICULARLY FOR THE CONTINUOUS WASHING AND/OR FULLING OF FABRICS, WHICH COMPRISES AN INCLINED SLIDE ALONG WHICH FABRIC TO BE FINISHED IS ARRANGED TO PASS, FEED MEANS ARRANGED TO FEED WATER OR OTHER LIQUID ALONG SAID INCLINED SLIDE ON THE SURFACE OF SAID FABRIC, AT LEAST ONE ROTATING SHAFT ARRANGED TO ROTATE TRANSVERSALLY TO THE DIRECTION OF ADVANCEMENT OF THE FABRIC, AND A PLURALITY OF THRASHER MEMBERS PROVIDED ON SAID ROTATING SHAFT FOR THRASHING THE SURFACE OF SAID FABRIC.

United States Patent .3,ss7,2ss

lnventor Fulvio Conti, c/o ().M.E.Z. ()fficine Meccaniche di Conti Dr. Ing. Fulvio Via Carnovali 88 Appl. No. 778,969

Filed Nov. 26, I968 Patented June 28, I971 APPARATUS FOR THE FINISHING OF FABRICS STRETCHED WIDE, PARTICULARY FOR THEIR CONTINUOUS WASHING 1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl t. 68/38, 15/89, 26/22 Int. Cl D06c 17/04 Field of Search 26/19-24,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 242,045 5/ l 88l Reilly 68/205X l,l96,527 8/1916 Dehon l5/302X FOREIGN PATENTS 580,639 1 l/l924 France 26/22 Primary Examiner-William 1. Price Attorneys-Guido Modiano and Albert Josif ABSTRACT: This disclosure relates to anapparatus for the finishing of fabrics stretched wide, particularly for the continuous washing and/or fulling of fabrics, which comprises an inclined slide along which fabric tobe finished is arranged to pass, feed means arranged to feed water or other liquid along said inclined slide on the surface of said fabric, at least one rotating shaft arranged to rotate transversally to the direction of advancement of the fabric, and a plurality of thrasher members provided on said rotating shaft for thrashing the surface of said fabric.

Exlvio CONT! APPARATUS FOR THE FINISHING OF FABRICS STRETCIIED WIDE, PARTICULARY FOR THEIR CONTINUOUS WASHING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an apparatus for the finishing of fabrics stretched wide, particularly for their continuous washing.

It is well known that the operations of finishing of fabrics stretched wide, particularly of wool fabrics, cotton fabrics and the like, include one or more phases of washing of the fabrics, including under this heading those operations which in current usage are indicated with more specialist terminology, for example deacidifying, desizing," degumming etc.

In the course of this operation or during the phase immediately adjacent to it,it is necessary in some cases, and for certain fibers or mixtures of certain fibers, to carry out the operation of fulling oh the fabrics for the purpose of obtaining a sealing" and stabilization of the fabric fibers so as to render them more compact. This operation is carried out by means of specially designed machines, called fullers. This however can be substituted completely or partially during the course of the washing operations. At the present time, thepartial or total fulling during the washing phase is obtained by carrying out the washing discontinuously (either bunched up or stretched out wide). The repeated immersion and extraction of the fabric from a water bath, alternated with its passage on a reel and squeezing, obtained a partial or total fulling effect. The piece of fabric is sewn at the two ends so forming a ring for performing the said discontinuous washing operation.

Another system, this time for continuous washing, provided for the operation of partial or total fulling by utilizing percussion members which moved in a reciprocating manner. It is evident that because of limitations due to the inertia of the reciprocating members, the fulling operation can proceed only at a relatively limited speed, because of which the fabric finishing phase creates a bottleneck in the cycle of production, and the fabric which advances through the thrashing or percussion members cannot proceed at very high speed, such a slowing down resulting in unsatisfactory exploitation of the finishing section and manifested by a very reduced fulling effeet.

The main object of this invention is consequently that of providing an apparatus particularly suitable for the continuous washing of fabrics when stretched wide, and which when applied to a finishing section of conventional type allows the speed of the washing operation of such fabric to be gradually increased so as to increase the productivity of the installations to which the apparatus is fitted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Another object of this invention is that of increasing the productive speed of the partial or total execution of the fulling operation both because of the fact that the operationis carried out with rotating thrashing means instead of reciprocating means, and for the coupling that the invention provides between the fulling and washing operations.

According to the invention there is provided an apparatus for the finishing of fabrics stretched wide, which comprises an inclined slide along which fabric to be finished is arranged to pass, feed means arranged to feed a liquid along said inclined slide on the surfaces of said fabric, rotating shaft means arranged to rotate transversally to the direction of advancement of the fabric, and a plurality of flexible thrasher members provided on said rotating shaft means for thrashing the surface of said fabric.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention, illustrated by way ofcxample in the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a diagrammatic side view ofthe apparatus according to the invention, inserted into a finishing section for fabrics stretched wide, of continuous operation; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. I.

With reference to said FIGS. the machine with fixed frame I is inserted between an upstream washing station, shown as a tank 2, and a downstream washing station shown as a tank 3. An inclined plane 4 in the form of a slide is secured to the frame 1, and is flanked laterally onboth sides by a pair of side panels 5. The lower part of said plane 4 is connected to a tank 6. The fabric 7 to be fulled is entrained from the tank 2 for example by a grooved drum 8 which is rotated by known means (not shown). After the drum 8, the fabric 7 passes under a tube 9 and runs along the said slide 4. It thence arrives at the bottom of the tank 6, where the formation of a certain reserve of fabric is provided for, so that the fabric dwells for a certain time before leaving the said tank. Finally, the fabric leaves the tank passing on further driving roller's'l0 and 11, until it arrives at a pair of squeezing rollers 12, from whence it is sent to the tank 3, in order to undergo further treatment. A plurality of tubes 13 are supported by the side panels 5 transversally above the cloth travelling on the slide 4, and are supplied by a feed manifold (not shown) with water or aqueous solution which cooperates in the fulling.

Said tubes 13 are provided with a plurality of holes which .create a form of shower above and below the fabric over the whole of its length, so that above the fabric a film of water is formed which reaches the slide 4 through the fabric. The water collects in the bottom of the tank 6 and is evacuated by a discharge circuit 14. A pair of rotating shafts l5 and 16 are situated above the fabric moving on the inclined plane 4, and are supported by the side panels 5 with the interposition of bearing means. Said shafts l5 and I6 are rotated by known means (not shown). A plurality of lamellar flexible elements I7 are arranged on each of said shafts l5 and 16 and act as thrashers. Said lamellar elements can be constituted of for example rubber, leather, or can also incorporate abrasive substances or minute pins, and are arranged, for example, in parallel lines. The blades or thrashers are so dimensioned and arranged that during the rotation of the shafts l5 and 16, which may occur at high speed, the thrashers continually thrash the surface of the continuously advancing fabric and thus effect the fulling. It is evident that the provision ofa plurality of thrashers 17, together with the high speed of rotation of the shafts l5 and 16, gives rise to a very high number of thrashings on the fabric, so that the fabric can advance at a higher speed than in the fulling machines of conventional type.

It will be appreciated that whilst in the described embodiment of apparatus according to the invention the trasher-carrying shafts operate on only one of the faces or surfaces of the fabric, said shafts can also be arranged so that both the surfaces of the fabric are subjected to thrashing. Moreover, the flexible or thrashing elements may assume a different arrangement from that shown a different number of thrasher-carrying may be employed.

The described apparatus can also find other applications in the field of manufacture of fabrics, and in particular the thrashing effected on the fabric by means of shafts rotating at high speed can also be incorporated in any continuous treatment of fabrics stretched out wide where it is necessary to render the fibers ofthe fabrics compact.

It may be noted that the energetic mechanical thrashing action effected by the rapidly rotating flexible thrashing elements I7, permits a considerable speeding up in the washing and stabilization treatment of the fabrics in their finishing phase with the advantage that the bottlenecks in a production line for fabrics in general, and for woolen fabrics in particular, are eliminated.

I claim: 7

direction of advancement of the fabric along said inclined slide, a plurality of flexible thrasher members provided on said rotating shaft means for thrashing the upper surface of said fabric, a collection zone at the lower end of said inclined slide for the temporary collection of the fabric advancing along the said slide, and discharge means in said collection zone for the discharge of accumulated liquid. 

